Should I define a single "DataContext" and pass references to it around or define muliple "DataConte
- by Nate Bross
I have a Silverlight application that consists of a MainWindow and several classes which update and draw images on the MainWindow. I'm now expanding this to keep track of everything in a database.
Without going into specifics, lets say I have a structure like this:
MainWindow
Drawing-Surface
Class1 -- Supports Drawing
DataContext + DataServiceCollection<T> w/events
Class2 -- Manages "transactions" (add/delete objects from drawing)
Class3
Each "Class" is passed a reference to the Drawing Surface so they can interact with it independently.
I'm starting to use WCF Data Services in Class1 and its working well; however, the other classes are also going to need access to the WCF Data Services. (Should I define my "DataContext" in MainWindow and pass a reference to each child class?)
Class1 will need READ access to the "transactions" data, and Class2 will need READ access to some of the drawing data. So my question is, where does it make the most sense to define my DataContext?
Does it make sense to:
Define a "global" WCF Data Service "Context" object and pass references to that in all of my subsequent classes?
Define an instance of the "Context" for each Class1, Class2, etc
Have each method that requires access to data define its own instance of the "Context" and use closures handle the async load/complete events?
Would a structure like this make more sense? Is there any danger in keeping an active "DataContext" open for an extended period of time? Typical usecase of this application could range from 1 minute to 40+ minutes.
MainWindow
Drawing-Surface
DataContext
Class1 -- Supports Drawing
DataServiceCollection<DrawingType> w/events
Class2 -- Manages "transactions" (add/delete objects from drawing)
DataServiceCollection<TransactionType> w/events
Class3
DataServiceCollection<T> w/events
